Last week, we saw that order of presentation of a small number of products dramatically affects consumer preference. (See Order Effect Affects Orders.) But how do our brains cope when choices number in the hundreds or thousands, and how do websites best match products or services to their visitors?

First, a warning – Neuromarketing reader participation post! I’m going to look at a few different matching/searching approaches, but I hope YOU can suggest one or two that YOU think break new ground! This post is a longish one, but if you are at all involved in website design or product/service matching systems, I hope you come away with an idea or two.

Imagine the problems faced by, say, Amazon when someone searches for televisions. They carry nearly 2,000, ranging from tiny hand-held units to massive home theater displays. Or a travel site presenting possible Chicago hotels, which number in the hundreds and vary in location, price, amenities, etc. Or an even less-well-defined matching project, like, “I want a cruise in November.”

Let’s look at a few examples of sites that have come up with different ways to attack the problem of matching/searching and then presenting the results in a way that is meaningful and comprehensive: […]